Giving shape to a young life
Shapes are his specialty, especially the shapes of the head. This is the specialty, unavailable in Sri Lanka until this year (2013), which has paved the way for a two-year-old boy and many other children from becoming intellectually disabled and being relegated to a life marred by challenges. The head of this little boy was squashed [...]
Changing core beliefs
There are two therapies scientifically proven to be effective for depression. They are cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT). As far I know there are no practitioners of IPT in Sri Lanka and therefore I will not describe this therapy. The older therapy is CBT and its two pioneers are Aaron Beck and [...]
What you eat matters as you get older
How should your diet change as you age? In the final edition of our series on healthy eating in partnership with the Nutrition Society of Sri Lanka, we speak with Clinical Nutritionist Dr. Angela de Silva, President of the Nutrition Society of Sri Lanka, about the dietary needs of the elderly. As your activity level [...]
Latest device to keep heart in check
It is a Sri Lankan patient in her mid-70s who holds the record not only for being the first in this country but in the whole of South Asia to be fitted with a dual-chamber implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) that is compatible with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patient was in double jeopardy, MediScene understands, [...]
The A, B, Cs of lung disease COPD
World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Day was marked in November and the theme was “It’s not too late,” to raise awareness worldwide. Efforts to improve early diagnosis, develop new treatments and better predict patients’ prognoses are leading to renewed optimism in the fight against one of the world’s most prevalent respiratory diseases. COPD is [...]
Rich goodness of ruby red fruit
The Pomegranate fruit has for centuries been known not just for its beauty, flavour, and colour but also for its health benefits. The name “pomegranate” derives from the French term “pommegranate” meaning “seeded apple. In Sri Lanka, the fruit is known as “Delum” in Sinhala and “Mathulai” in Tamil. The Pomegranate or Punicagranatum L.belongs to [...]
When two important organs are hit
Liver cancer ( Hepatocellular carcinoma) The liver is one of the largest organs in the body, located in the upper right portion of the abdomen. The liver has many important functions, including clearing toxins from the blood, metabolising drugs, making blood proteins, and making bile which assists digestion. What is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)? Hepatocellular carcinoma [...]
‘Tis the season for high spirits, so take note!
Why do we get drunk? Philosophers and psychologists may debate a dozen rival theories but the literal answer lies in the way a molecule affects the human brain. Ethanol, the most popular form of alcohol, is both water and fat soluble and when we consume it, is rapidly transmitted to multiple organs. In the brain, [...]
